The issue was called for by the REC in recent discussions with Employment Relations Minister, Ed Davey, after fears that the forthcoming Agency Workers Regulations could lead to more tribunal claims.

Proposals limiting the number of unfounded and frivolous claims include: a fee for lodging tribunal actions; a rise in the qualifying period for unfair dismissal claims to two years; a requirement that all cases must first be lodged with ACAS, the conciliation service.

Tom Hadley the REC’s director of policy and professional services said, that the proposals would help reduce the costs to REC members of unnecessary tribunals and bureaucracy. He went on to say, ‘organisations such as ACAS are not predicting a huge surge in tribunals once the AWR comes in later this year, however there will clearly be some claims made by temporary staff, who feel they are not benefiting from equal treatment provisions.’